Tag: radioimmunotherapy

Lutetium 177 Radioimmunotherapy Clinical Trial Open for Men with Rising PSA Levels

We have an open clinical trial using radioimmunotherapy for men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and whose PSAs are rising despite initial hormonal therapy but have no evidence of metastatic disease on scans (no tumors seen on CT/MRI and bone scan). This clinical trial is investigating whether attaching Lutetium 177 with the monoclonal antibody J591 (177Lu-J591) can delay or prevent the disease progression to overt metastatic disease in men with “biochemical progression”.

J591 can recognize a protein antigen known as PSMA (also known as anti-prostate-specific membrane antigen) that is present on the surface of nearly all prostate cancer tumors and circulating tumor cells.

The targeted treatment in this trial uses J591 as a delivery vehicle for the radioactive treatment (Lutetium 177) to be delivered directly to the prostate cancer cells that may be hiding or circulating in the body (for example in lymph nodes, the blood stream or the bones).

The Lutetium 177-J591 treatment approach may be ideal for men who are experiencing rising PSA levels after primary prostate cancer treatment and early hormonal therapy, but whose bone and CT scans remain negative. Even though we can’t detect the presence of cancer on these traditional imaging scans, we know from prior research that these men have what we call “micro-metastatic” disease, meaning that the prostate cancer cells are increasing throughout the body because otherwise PSA levels would not be so high or increasing at such a rapid rate. Unfortunately, even with traditional hormonal manipulation, metastases become evident in these men after months. Although we have treated many men with overt metastatic prostate cancer and demonstrated anti-tumor responses, we have also shown that we are able to target these micro-metastatic sites (tumors that are too small to be seen on CT or bone scan), and the properties of 177-Lu make it more optimal for tumors that are too small to be seen on conventional imaging.

Many patients fall in this category in a broad sense and usually these men feel completely fine. Approximately 50,000 new men per year in the U.S. suffer a biochemical relapse (rising PSA after surgery or radiation) and some of these men will have further PSA rises despite the most common type or hormonal therapy, which are injections to bring down testosterone levels. The goal is to intervene earlier on in order to bring more men to cure and suppress the disease from further progression and metastases.

Men in this phase II study will be randomized and all patients will receive oral hormonal therapy as part of treatment which also serves to boost their PSMA level (i.e. increase the number of “locks” per tumor cell). Since PSMA is the target for 177Lu-J591, radioimmunotherapy increased expression of PSMA can lead to more targeting of the otherwise invisible tumor cells. Two-thirds of patients will receive 177Lu-J591 at the highest tolerated dose that improved outcomes based on our prior study and the remaining one-third will get J591 with a diagnostic isotope (111Indium). The isotope 111-Indium (abbreviated 111In) is also an energetic radioactive particle, but it does not generally give off enough energy to kill cancer cells while still allowing researchers to take more detailed pictures of where the prostate cancer is located in the body.

Our goal is to ultimately cure the men who fall in this category by eradicating microscopic deposits of cancer, and the Weill Cornell Genitourinary Oncology team is available for patient consultations and to speak with physicians who are interested in referring patients to this trial, which is available at a number of sites across the country.

Learn more about how this treatment works in this article and video:

Promising New Radioligand Treatment for Men with Metastatic Prostate Cancer Using Lutetium 177 (177Lu)

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Using small molecules, we are able to target not only the known tumors, but can also treat the unknown tumors.

Physicians and researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have been utilizing prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-directed radioisotope therapy for more than a decade. Over the years, we have shown that we could use this approach to target the vast majority of prostate cancer tumors (“hitting” essentially all known tumors and avoiding normal organs), demonstrated anti-tumor responses when the J591 antibody is linked to a radioactive particle with a large (single) treatment, and then further improved upon this treatment (while simultaneously reducing the side effects) by dose-fractionation (splitting the dose into two).

Following our lead and with the discovery of new small molecules which also specifically bind to PSMA, European physicians have begun using these compounds tagged with the same radioactive particle. The most common molecule has been termed PSMA-617. They have shown some very nice anti-tumor responses with limited side effects. However, because European laws differ from the U.S., many men are able to pay for treatment outside of the setting of rigorous, organized clinical research studies that clearly define appropriate dosing, efficacy and toxicity.

In January 2017, research was published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine demonstrating that Lutetium 177 combined with PSMA-617 can reduce the amount of tumors in the body and lead to remission of the cancer as measured by PSA level. Twelve German hospitals reviewed their data and compiled a publication of patients with metastatic prostate cancer who received Lutetium-177 linked to PSMA-617 (177Lu-PSMA-617). Over 18 months, 145 men whose cancer grew despite standard treatments (including abiraterone and/or enzalutamide and chemotherapy) and whose tumors “lit up” on PSMA imaging were treated. While not a proper prospective research study, they were able to determine information about both anti-tumor activity and safety. Most patients who had PSA measured before and after treatment had some decline, with 40% having PSA cut at least in half following a single treatment. Blood counts dropped in less than half (usually to moderate degrees) and some developed dry mouth and/or taste changes. Severe toxicity was rare.

It is encouraging to see that there is a treatment that might lead to reduction in cancer without severe side effects, even in men who previously have received many other lines of treatment. However, both rigorous research as well as access for our patients are current issues. Therefore, we are excited to offer a clinical trial that builds upon our prior experience of anti-PSMA radioimmunotherapy while taking into account the available European data.

This study utilizes the most commonly used molecule, 177Lu-PSMA-617, in a prospective manner. Our prior research has shown that higher doses result in significantly better anti-tumor responses, so one purpose of this study is to perform dose-escalation to determine the safest and most-effective dose without increased side effects. In addition, our research demonstrated that dose-fractionation allowed higher doses with less toxicity, so our treatment schedule will deliver the total dose in 2 fractions.

We look forward to advancing science and also making these treatments available to men in the tri-state area and across the U.S., not just those who can afford to fly to Germany for treatment. At Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, we have an excellent, multidisciplinary team that has led the world in PSMA-targeted radionuclide therapy. We will leverage our combined expertise and experience to translate the exciting knowledge base into true clinical gains for prostate cancer patients.

To learn more about the clinical trial or enroll, click here. Call us at 646-962-2072 to make an appointment or schedule a consultation. 

Using Radiation, Radioimmunotherapy and Radioactive Isotopes such as Lutetium 177 to Treat Prostate Cancer

Radiation is a mainstay in the treatment of prostate cancer. In men with localized prostate cancer (confined to the prostate gland), using radiation can help cure the cancer. In men with advanced disease, radiation can improve survival and help to manage pain.

Radiation can be delivered a variety of different ways. For example, there are external beams that can be used to deliver radiation from an external machine into the prostate, radioactive “seeds” that can be implanted, or ways to inject special radioactive isotopes directly into the bloodstream.

In the United States (U.S.), there are older FDA-approved treatments utilizing radioactive isotopes for men with prostate cancer that has spread to the bones to decrease pain, called samarium-153 (brand name Quadramet) and strontium-89 (Metastron). More recently, a bone-targeted alpha particle called radium-223 (brand name Xofigo®) was approved because it leads to longer overall survival in men with symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant bone metastases. These bone-targeted radioisotopes have been useful because prostate cancer commonly spreads to bone. However, those drugs cannot treat other sites of tumors such as in the prostate, lymph nodes, or lung.

We are also able to use parts of the immune system as a way to deliver radioactive particles or other targeted cancer treatments to the prostate cancer. We have engineered very specific monoclonal antibodies and molecules that will bind only to PSMA, leading to the opportunity for “molecularly targeted” radiotherapy for prostate cancer. When we combine immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies with radioactive isotopes, we call the treatment approach radioimmunotherapy. Radioimmunotherapy involves attaching a radioactive isotope (such as Lutetium 177) to a cancer-targeting antibody or small molecule that binds only to a specific cancer-related molecule on a tumor cell. This is similar to a “lock and key” scenario, where the antibody or molecule serves as a key that will only recognize a very specific lock (the cancer-related molecule). In prostate cancer, nearly all cells have a specific “lock” that lives on the surface of each cell called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA).

j591_psmaFor nearly 15 years, we have been utilizing a monoclonal antibody known as J591, which is a version of a specific key that will only recognize and enter cells with the specific lock PSMA. We successfully utilized this antibody tagged with small radioactive particles to either visualize or treat prostate cancer tumors within the prostate, bone, lymph nodes, and other sites in the body. Our initial studies demonstrated safety and signaled anti-tumor efficacy. In addition, we showed that the antibody went to virtually all sites of tumors (sometimes discovering new ones) and did not target other normal organs (with the exception of the liver which helps clear the drug from the body). Subsequently, our larger studies have shown responses in larger numbers of patients. In Europe, physicians picked up on our results and Lutetium 177 (also known as Lu-177, 177-Lu or 177 Lutetium) has become a very popular radioactive particle that can be directed to prostate cancer via PSMA. It has been used to kill prostate cancer cells and treat hundreds of prostate cancer patients. This commonly-used approach uses a small molecule which recognizes PSMA to deliver Lu-177 to prostate cancer cells (termed radioligand therapy or radioimmunotherapy therapy).

Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy is associated with a good prostate cancer response and many men travel from all over the world to Europe in order to access this treatment. In the U.S. it is only available via clinical trials, and for more than 10 years, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian have been one of the few centers in the U.S. to offer Lutetium 177 and other targeted treatments using radioactive particles.

Learn more about how this treatment works in this video: